


Aegir Hound

by phichithamsters



Series: phichithamsters's twitter fics [9]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: CW: Major Character Hates Dogs, Dog adoption, Established Ferdinand/Hubert, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:07:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27719981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phichithamsters/pseuds/phichithamsters
Summary: Ferdinand adopts a dog, and Hubert is unhappy.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Series: phichithamsters's twitter fics [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027525
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	Aegir Hound

**Author's Note:**

> For a curiouscat prompt: "Prompt Ferdibert get a dog and Hubert likes the little thing more than he expected."
> 
> This was originally posted to twitter [here!](https://twitter.com/phichithamsters/status/1331127778780057600)

Hubert must be having a nightmare, because there is no way on this bloody planet that Ferdinand von Aegir, Prime Minister of the Empire and Husband to Hubert, just walked into his office with a dog on a leash. 

“Look who I found, Hubert!” Ferdinand says cheerfully, clearly choosing to ignore the horrified look on Hubert’s face. 

“Tell me you did not,” Hubert pinches his brow between gloved fingers.  _ Please, dear Goddess _ , he prays,  _ I know you have never answered my prayers before, but please, just this once… _

“His name is Reginald!”

“That is what I feared you would say,” Hubert says. “How did you come to acquire this… beast?”

“Oh stop being so dramatic,” Ferdinand says. “I found him outside the palace on my walk this morning. He looked so sad and lonely, so I had to take him in!”

Ferdinand kneels next to the dog and scratches it behind the ears. The dog looks pleased, and it nuzzles its head into Ferdinand’s hand. Hubert frowns at the thought of that hand touching him at a later time. 

“You came across many strays back at Garreg Mach,” Hubert sighs. “What made this one so irresistible?”

Ferdinand looks at him, dumbfounded. “He’s an  _ Aegir hound!  _ It was meant to be.”

Hubert opens his mouth, but Ferdinand interjects. “You don’t have a say in this one. I’m keeping him.”

“Fine. But you know very well how I feel about dogs,” Hubert says, a little deflated. Ferdinand has that  _ look _ about him, the stubborn, determined one, set right above his brow, wrinkling it ever so slightly. When his husband gets like this, there is nothing Hubert can say or do to change his mind. 

“I know, and I will make sure that he is taken care of,” Ferdinand says, but Hubert has a feeling he’s speaking more to the dog at this point.

“Very well. I guess I’ll be seeing you and…?”

“Reginald.”

“Yes, Reginald, later then,” Hubert says, punctuating his discomfort with another long sigh. 

Ferdinand smiles. “Of course,” he says, leading the dog away. 

Hubert has a sudden thought. “Ferdinand! He will not be permitted in the bedroom!” He calls. 

If Ferdinand hears him, he makes no mention of it. And then he and the dog are gone. 

***

Hubert’s hatred of dogs began somewhere between the time he and lady Edelgard were attacked by the Royal Palace bulldog and when he watched his father’s hunting dogs ravage a wild pig. Somewhere between those two events did Hubert learn that dogs were no more than demons lurking under the skin of beasts, and he found no attraction to them. In fact, he was greatly disquieted by them, and would go to great lengths to avoid crossing paths with them— back at Garreg Mach, Hubert would often send servants to fetch arms and goods from the local merchants, if only to avoid the strays that slept in the lazy afternoon sun. 

Luckily, Ferdinand does not bring the dog into the bedroom, although he allows it in the dining room while they eat dinner. It sits in the corner of room, quietly chewing on a bone, watchful eyes flickering between his owner and Hubert. 

Hubert has trouble eating that night. 

And when he and Ferdinand tuck into bed, his husband curling into his chest and falling asleep quickly, Hubert is kept awake by the sound of gentle scratches outside their bedroom door, ever so faint. He imagines Reginald bursting down the door and galloping towards the bed, large ears flopping, and jumping onto the bed where his dear husband sleeps. What would happen next, Hubert cannot say, but he imagines terrifying scenarios until his mind shuts down from sheer exhaustion and paranoia. 

***

The crack of dawn wakes Hubert, like it always does, no matter how late he has stayed awake. The morning light trickles in behind his eyelids and forces him from his fitful slumber, and Hubert opens his eyes, only to see Reginald the dog lying next to him, where his husband should be. 

His first thought is one of pure terror, and he looks around the room frantically. 

_ Did Reginald eat Ferdinand in his sleep?  _

But— no, Ferdinand’s cloak is gone, which must mean that he’s gone, which would explain how the dog got in the room, but dear Goddess, some warning would have been nice, he thinks, his heart pounding a thousand miles a minute. 

Reginald does not seem to be bothered by Hubert’s panic, as he simply stretches his paws out in front of him with a small yawn. 

Hubert leans over the slightest bit, not wanting to disturb the dog any further, only to see that the dog’s tongue has gotten caught between his teeth, sticking out ever so slightly. The bright pink is a stunning contrast against the mottled orange and black fur; the hound looks a bit silly, and it makes Hubert smile, just the tiniest bit. 

He hovers one hand over the dog’s sleeping form, unsure whether his touch would startle the dog. But it looks so peaceful up close, and with its tiny tongue sticking out from its mouth, it looks like it could do no harm, ever. Hubert is comforted by that thought. 

Gently, very gently, he strokes the dog's fur, just once, following the direction of the hair, just like he’s seen others do it. Reginald shifts— Hubert withdrawals his hand like he’s touched a burning stove— but the dog simply curls its head a little closer into the blanket, exposing his belly with the motion, as if he wanted Hubert to rub that, too. 

Hubert is startled by a whimper from the corner of the bedroom, and he whips around to find Ferdinand, with his eyes teary and his hand over his mouth. He's looking at Hubert with such tenderness. 

“Goddess, Ferdinand, you startled me,” Hubert says. 

“Do you… do you like Reginald, Hubert?” his husband asks, his eyes glimmering. Hubert scoffs and crosses his arms. 

“Oh, absolutely not,” he takes a scooch away from the sleeping hound. “Please, I don’t know what you saw, but I still do not approve of this animal.”

Ferdinand smiles knowingly, saying nothing. 

“Don’t give me that look, Ferdinand, I was simply checking to see if it was dead—“

“Sure you were, my love,” Ferdinand says, a playful gleam in his eye. “Now I’m going to take Reginald on a walk, would you like to come?”

Hubert says nothing. Ferdinand smiles again and grabs the leash from where it hangs on their bedroom door. 

“Great,” Ferdinand says. “I’ll see you downstairs in 5.”


End file.
